ROCKFORD — A proposed bar inside the Rural Oaks Plaza took a significant step toward opening when it earned the support of two city panels Tuesday.

The city’s Zoning Board of Appeals voted 5-1 to grant a variance that allows fewer parking spaces than prescribed by city code. Then the Liquor and Tobacco Advisory Board, which has separate duties but the same membership as the ZBA, voted 5-1 to recommend approval of the bar to the City Council.

The council has to approve both recommendations before Rural on Tap can open at 1710 Rural St. The Codes and Regulations committee will consider the matter March 31.

Approval from the panel came after hours of comments from residents in a neighborhood that has been divided by the proposal.

Opponents say it will bring noise, traffic and other potential problems, like drunken drivers or rowdy patrons. They fear that a lack of parking will lead customers to park on nearby Gardiner Avenue, taking spaces from tenants in the apartments on the block. They said it could lead to increased crime and reduced property values.

Supporters said they would welcome a neighborhood bar they could walk to. They said it would revitalize a previously vacant portion of the strip mall and add character to the neighborhood. Several credited strip-mall owners Jon and Nancy Whitlock for attracting new businesses to the plaza and getting rid of problem tenants like a former tobacco shop. They said their reputation shows that they use discretion before letting a tenant move in, and parking is adequate because Rural on Tap’s hours have little overlap with other businesses there.

Thirteen people spoke in opposition to the bar and 12 spoke in favor during the ZBA hearing. The board also noted that three letters of support and two letters of opposition had been submitted.

“This is one of the first issues that have really divided neighbors since I’ve been in office,” said Ald. Tom McNamara, who has represented the 3rd Ward for about a year.

McNamara said he’s received more than 225 calls about the establishment and “that’s when I stopped counting.” He voiced his support for the bar but thanked opponents for helping push the businessmen behind it to drop slot machines from their business plan, reduce their hours of operation and agree to not have live music or DJs.

Nick Fosberg, who also runs Casey’s Pub in Loves Park, and Derrick Kunz say Rural on Tap will cater to young professionals and patrons who enjoy craft beers and wine. It won’t serve food but would allow catering from next-door Primo’s Pizza. Entertainment would include karaoke, comedy and individual singers.

“If you don’t have food and you don’t have games, think about how many beers you have to pour at five bucks a glass” to make it, said Pat Curran, a former alderman. He warned that if things don’t work out, the bar owners could go back to the City Council to try to get the rules changed.

The bar’s lease says it won’t have slot machines. McNamara said he won’t allow the owners to come back to the City Council to change their request if the current plan fails.

Attorney Ian Linnabary, a supporter of the bar who was later hired to represent Rural on Tap at Tuesday’s proceedings, said it was unwarranted and unfair to associate bad things with Rural on Tap simply because it is a bar.

“We spend a lot of time entertaining hypothetically bad scenarios,” he said. “What if we, as a community, entertained some hypothetically positive scenarios?”